Wednesday, August 9, 2017

A federal judge has dismissed one of the two federal cases involving the constitutionality of Texas' so-called "sanctuary city" bill.

Shortly after Senate Bill 4 was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in May, state Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Travis County officials who openly opposed the bill. For Paxton, it was a preemptive request to get a federal judge to affirm that SB4 was constitutional.

This leaves the federal courts with just one SB4-related case on their plate.

The pending law, which has also been called the "show me your papers" bill, would allow local law enforcement to ask legally detained people about their immigration status and punish law enforcement officials if they don’t cooperate with federal requests to hold undocumented immigrants they detain — whether or not they actually committed a crime. If a federal judge doesn't approve a pending preliminary injunction request, the bill will become law on Sept. 1.

The injunction comes from the other SB4 case, where dozens of plaintiffs (including the City of San Antonio) accuse the state of passing a law that violates freedom of speech, citizen rights, state sovereignty, and warrantless search and seizure. Plaintiffs are hoping U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia grants an injunction (which would keep the bill from going into effect) before Sept. 1.